Why olive oil is revered at the Hanukkah table

Now a healthful cooking oil, olive oil was used to heat and light temples in ancient times.

/ Getty Images/iStockphoto

Now a healthful cooking oil, olive oil was used to heat and light temples in ancient times.

Now a healthful cooking oil, olive oil was used to heat and light temples in ancient times. (/ Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Beverly Levitt • Special to the U-T

Hanukkah is not about feasting. It’s not about gorging monstrous amounts of potato latkes or jelly doughnuts, or even about receiving eight presents — one for each night of the holiday. What we really celebrate on the 25th day of Kislev, which, according to the Hebrew calendar, falls this year on Thanksgiving Day, are the events we learned in Sunday school — how one tiny cask of olive oil performed a miracle and saved the Jewish people.

And so, every year we celebrate the miracle of olive oil, which makes us realize how modern our ancestors really were, because 2,000 years ago, this healthful, golden, polyunsaturated substance — which should be called a gift from the gods to the cardiologists — was used to heat and light the temple. One wonders if they preferred extra virgin to pure, but let me tell you the rest of the story …

menorah

/ Getty Images/iStockphoto

/ Getty Images/iStockphoto

In 165 B.C., a small band of men led by Judah Maccabeus performed a miracle of their own. Outnumbered 100 to one, they were victorious in their battle against the Syrian Hellenists and the oppressive reign of King Antiochus Epiphanes. The victory was important, according to Claudia Roden in “The Book of Jewish Food,” because it was the first time Jews resorted to arms to preserve their faith and fight for religious freedom.

Fresh from their triumph, they came home to Jerusalem and cautiously entered the temple, where they found the eternal light snuffed out and the house of worship in ruins. Their first thought was to rekindle the holy light. They rummaged cask after cask of olive oil in search of one with the priestly seal still intact. Finally, they unearthed it — one totally pure vessel — and used it to ignite the flame. And then came the miracle. Although there was barely enough oil for one day’s light, it burned miraculously for eight, giving the soldiers time to rededicate the temple and give it back to the Jewish people.

To pay homage to the oil, during Hanukkah, Jews eat fried foods. Since my family is Ashkenazi — my ancestors came to the United States from Russia and Poland — I’ve been eating potato latkes all my life. It never occurred to me that in different parts of the world, where potatoes weren’t so plentiful, Jews ate other foods to celebrate this joyous holiday.

Fritters swimming in syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar are popular with other Sephardic Jews — from places as diverse as the Mediterranean, North and South Africa, India and the Middle East. Fried chicken with couscous is served in Morocco. Russians put a lump of sugar in a spoon, pour brandy over it, then set it on fire and drop it in a glass of tea, along with their latkes. And for dessert, the jam-filled doughnut, Sufganiyot, is devoured with delight in Israel and wherever Jews are found, actually. The best are light and buttery and melt in your mouth, homemade, or piping hot, right out of the oven at your favorite Jewish bakery.

As for the cholesterol-provoking properties of the full-of-fat fried foods, Kleiman laughs, pooh-poohing the idea of baked or broiled low-fat latkes or other fat-fretting fare.

“I’d rather starve myself on Thanksgiving,” she says. “That’s probably what the pilgrims were doing anyway. All year long I avoid french fries like the plague. On Hanukkah I celebrate the miracle of the oil. And love it!”

Rice Fritters

Makes 4 servings

1 cup Arborio rice

2 1/2 cups water

Salt to taste

1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in water to cover

1/2 cup pine nuts

Grated rind of 1 large lemon

4 eggs, beaten slightly

Olive oil for frying

Cinnamon-sugar for dusting

Lemon wedges

Place rice in saucepan with water and salt; bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cover and cook without stirring for 1/2 hour, until rice is well done and very dry. Remove from heat; place in mixing bowl. Drain raisins of their soaking liquid; add to rice along with pine nuts and lemon rind. Let rice cool for at least half an hour. Add eggs and mix well.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Drop rice mixture into oil by the tablespoonful. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until fritters are golden brown. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven, about 250 degrees. To serve, place fritters on serving dish, dust with cinnamon-sugar. Serve with lemon wedges.

Between pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap, gently pound chicken flat, about the same thickness as veal scaloppini. Season eggs with salt and pepper; place in shallow bowl.

Combine bread crumbs and rosemary; spread them out on a plate. Mix tomatoes and arugula with olive oil.

Dip chicken first in the eggs, then in bread crumbs, coating both sides. Pour enough oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch. When oil is hot, fry breaded chicken until golden brown on both sides, approximately 4 minutes. Place chicken on paper towels to drain. Arrange on a serving platter; top with tomato-arugula mixture. Garnish with lemon wedges.

From Evan Kleiman

Pumpkin-filled Doughnuts

Makes 16 doughnuts

1 (1/4 ounce) package of active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

1/4 cup sugar plus more for rolling

3/4 cup milk, soy milk or water

6 tablespoons vegetable oil or softened butter

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace or 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or more, if needed

About 5 cups safflower or peanut oil for deep-frying

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Place 2 1/2 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in center; add yeast mixture, remaining sugar, milk, oil or butter, eggs, salt, pumpkin and spices. Gradually beat in enough of the remaining flour to make smooth, soft dough.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and springy, about 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl; cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ hours.

In a large, heavy pot, heat 2 inches oil to 370 degrees. Using an oiled spatula, slip 3-4 rounds into oil, careful not to crowd pan. Fry until golden, about 1 minute, turn doughnuts once, fry until golden on both sides. Remove with spatula or tongs; briefly drain on a wire rack.

Place pumpkin cream (recipe below) in a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch nozzle tip. Insert tip into a side of a doughnut; fill with about 1 tablespoon cream. Roll doughnuts in the sugar.

Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, flour, and spices. Add egg yolks; beat until smooth. Gradually stir in the warm milk mixture. Strain to remove any coagulated clumps and return to saucepan. Over medium-low heat, whisk constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to whisk for about 20 seconds. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into a bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and let stand at room temperature until cool (about 1 hour). Cover and store in refrigerator.

Adapted from Gil Marks, author of “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food” and the James Beard Award-winning “Olive Trees and Honey.” He created this recipe for this rare occasion when Hanukkah and Thanksgiving intersect.